1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wiper system and a wiper control method.
2. Description of Related Art
Rain droplets, which adhere to a front glass of a vehicle (e.g., an automobile), may reduce a visibility of a front view of a driver through the front glass. In order to avoid the reduction in the visibility, a wiper system is provided. In such a wiper system, a wiper is reciprocally swung over the front glass in response to rotation of a wiper motor to wipe the rain droplets adhered to the front glass.
As the wiper system of the above-described type, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-524335A (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,384,557B1) recites a wiper drive system, which reciprocally drives a wiper by, driving an electric motor in a forward rotational direction and a backward rotational direction.
In the wiper drive system, the wiper is driven in one of a continuous operational mode and an intermittent operational mode. In the continuous operational mode, the wiper is continuously reciprocally swung between an upper return position and a lower return position. In the intermittent operational mode, the wiper is intermittently reciprocally swung between the upper return position and the lower return position.
However, in the case of the wiper drive system recited in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-524335A, when the speed of the vehicle is increased to cause an increase in the head wind applied to the vehicle, the wiper, which is stopped at the lower return position during the operation in the intermittent operational mode, may possibly be disadvantageously lifted by the head wind from the lower return position toward the upper return position.